Someone may ask here-
"What is wrong in believing and wor- shipping those who possess so much
power?"

Answer: When one is
having the rise of Papa-karma the Vyantaras, etc. cannot cause or bestow
happiness and when there is rise of Punya-karma they cannot cause misery.
Moreover by worshipping them, no bondage of auspicious karmas takes place, on
the other hand due to increase in attachment passions, etc., only the bondage
of inauspicious karmas is caused; hence paying regard and worshiping them is
not beneficial; rather it is harmful. And the Vyantaras' motive in inducing
others to believe and worship them is only to make fun and no other specific
purpose is there. The one who believes and worships them, with him only they
continue making fun. Those who do not believe and worship them, to them they
do not say anything. If at all they have any purpose then they should cause
more pain and misery to those who do not believe and worship them; but those
who have firm determination of not believing and worshiping them, to them they
are not seen telling anything. And the purpose would lie only, if they have
the suffering of hunger, etc., but such sufferings not found in them. If such
suffering be there why do they not accept sweets - oblation which are offered
to them? And why do they encourage the followers to serve food, etc. to
others only? So, they have simply the objective of fun. If anyone becomes a
party to their activity of fun, etc., then he would become miserable and feel
inferiority; hence, it is not worthwhile to believe and worship them.

Further, someone asks
that the Vyantaras say so- "Offer Pinda-daan (oblation of cooked rice to the
manes in Gaya, etc. then we shall get released and will never come again."
What is all this?

Answer: The Jivas
normally carry the impressions and experiences of their previous birth to the
next birth. The Vyantaras also by remembrance, etc. possess the specific
impressions of their previous birth; therefore, because the Vyantaras might be
having in their previous birth the conjecture that by doing Pinda-Daan, etc.
in Gaya, etc, one gets better rebirth; that is why they induce people to do
such acts. If the Muslims, etc. become Vyantaras after death, they do not say
so, rather they narrate their experiences and impressions of the past life
only; hence, if the state of mind of all Vyantaras be of uniform type then all
will pray in the same manner but it is not so. Therefore, one should know the
real characteristics of the Vyantaras etc.

Further, sun, moon,
planets, etc. are the stellars kinds of celestial beings (Jyotishi Devas),
some people worship them, that also is a fallacy. Some worship sun, etc. by
believing it as the part of God; there in the sun lies the only specialty of
excessive light, however gems like diamonds etc. also possess light. No other
specialty seems to be there in the sun for treating it to be part of God. And
people worship moon, etc. for the sake of acquiring wealth, etc., but if
wealth could be obtained by worshipping them then all the paupers should
worship; therefore, this is a false notion. And some people worship them with
the view of astrology during the advent of bad planets, etc. and give
donations, etc. for the same purpose. As the deers, etc. make movement of
their own and they are treated to be the indicator of pre- intimation of
likely future happiness and sorrow respectively on their crossing from right
and left sides, but they are not at all capable of giving pleasure and pain;
similarly, the planets, etc. make movement of their own and are treated as
pre-indicators of the knowledge of likely future pleasure or pain on rise of
appropriate association of karmas in Jivas, but they, the planets, are not at
all capable of giving pleasure or pain. Some people, who worship them, do not
get the desired objective fulfilled and some others, who do not worship them,
get their desired objective fulfilled. Therefore, worshipping them is not
worthwhile and is a fallacy.

Here someone says-
"Giving donations is a pious act; therefore, it is good?"

Answer: Donating with
the objective of religion is a pious act (Punya); but in the aforesaid cases
donation and worship take place due to fear of misery and greed of pleasures;
hence, it is assuredly vice (Papa). Likewise, in many ways, they worship the
Jyotishi Devas - stellar kinds of celestial goods, which too is a fallacy.

Further, goddesses,
Devees and Daharees, etc. are found there; many of them are Vyantarees
(peripatetic goddesses and Jyotishinees (stellar goddesses). People worship
them with contrary belief of their characteristics. Several of them are
imaginary goddesses, yet people worship them on the basis of their imaginary
characteristics.

Thus, worshipping
Vyantara gods-goddesses etc. is forbidden

Denial of Worshipping
Kshetrapal, Padmavati, etc.

Someone may say here
that no fault lies in worshipping the Kshetrapal, Dahari, Padmavati, etc.
goddesses Yaksha-Yakshini, etc. because all of them follow Jainism?

Answer: In Jina's
religion worshipability is acquired by accepting and following the continence
(vows), etc. but continence is not at all found in Devas (celestial beings).
And people worship these by believing them as true believers; but in
Bhavanatrikas (residentials, peripatetic and stellars - 3 kinds of celestial
beings) there is no prominence of possessing right belief. If people worship
these Devas presuming them to possess right belief then why not to worship the
gods of Sarvartha Siddhi heaven and Laukantika Devas (of fifth heaven) who
certainly possess right belief? You may further say- "These Kshetrapal
Padmavati etc. are excessively engrossed in Jina's adoration". But Saudharma
Indra also indulges in Jina's adoration excessively and also possesses true
belief; why then to worship these (Kshetrapsl, Padnzavati, etc.) by ignoring
him? Further, if you will say- "As the king has chamberlains as attendants so
also the Tirthankaras have Kshterapalas, etc. as attendants. " But in
Samavasarana (preaching arena of omniscient Lord) these Kshetrapalas, etc.
have no status; hence all such belief is false. Moreover, as the chamberlains
help the visitors in meeting the king, similarly, these (Kshetrapalas, etc.)
do not have any role in arranging meeting with the Tirthankaras. In the case
of Tirthankara whosoever has the desire to worship he can have His Darshan
(Sighting). There is no question of dependence on any one.

And see the height of
ignorance ! Those who have fearful form possessed with sword, spear, etc.
arms, are being worshipped by singing and dancing. It is a pity that even in
Jainism the fearful form has become worshipable. So, this too became similar
to other non-Jaina faiths. Belief in such contrary is possible in Jaina's
religion only under the influence of the rise of intense delusion.

In this way,
worshipping of Kshetrapalas etc. also is not worth-while.

Further, animals like
cows, snakes, etc. are clearly found to be inferior to human beings, they are
to be disparaged, their culpable condition is clearly seen. And trees, fire,
water, etc. are the immobile (one-sensed)- beings, those are clearly found
inferior than the animals. And weapons, inkpot, etc. are inanimate objects;
those things clearly appear to be destitute of all sorts of power; in no way
worshipability can be thought in them. Therefore, worshipping of all these
things is a great fallacy. Nothing seems to be achievable directly or
indirectly by worshipping all these things. Therefore, it is useless to
worship them.

Therefore, from all
angles, believing and worshipping of all kinds of false deities-gods and
goddesses, is forbidden.

Behold ! the power of
false belief. In public life it is considered censurable and below dignity to
bow to persons lower in status than ourselves; whereas under the influence of
delusion censurability is not felt even in worshipping the pieces of stone.
And in public life people are found serving and attending on only those
persons from whom they expect their purpose being fulfilled. But due to
fallacious belief- "how will my purpose be accomplished by worshipping the
false deities" -without such thinking, the people worship the false deities.
And while adoring the false deities, thousands of impediments occur but one
does not pay attention to them and if due to the rise of auspicious karmas the
desired objective is fulfilled then he says and believes that this achievement
is the result of adoring false deities. Moreover, if some objective is
fulfilled without their adoration, he does not pay any attention to it but if
something undesirable takes place then he says that this undesirable has
happened because of not worshipping the false deities. He does not think even
this much that if benefitting and harming anybody be in the hands of these
false deities then those who worship them would achieve the desirable and
those who do not worship will achieve the undesirable; but this does not seem
to be happening so. For example, even the sons of those persons who adores'
excessively are found to be dieing while in the case of others', sons, etc.
are found living without such adoration.

Therefore, believing
and adoring of Sheetals (an imaginary goddess) is not at all purposeful.

In the same way,
believing and adoring of all other kinds of false deities (gods-goddesses) is
not at all useful.

Here someone may say-
"Let it not be useful but by believing and adoring them no harm is caused?"

Answer: If there be no
harm then why would we forbid? But firstly due to fostering of false belief
the right path of liberation becomes remote and inaccessible; this is a big
harm and secondly, owing to the bondage of inauspicious karmas (Papa),
miseries are caused in future; this is another harm.

Further, someone asks
that- "The false belief, etc. dispositions are caused by belief in false
Tattvas and the bondage of inauspicious karmas takes place by indulging in
evil deeds (vicious acts). Therefore, how would false belief, etc. and the
bondage of inauspicious karmas be caused by believing in them?"

Answer: Firstly, it is
a fallacy to believe other objects to be agreeable and non-agreeable, because
no substance is friend or foe of any body, and whatever agreeable non-
agreeable substances are found associated with this Jiva are caused by the
rise of auspicious - inauspicious karmas (Punya-Papa) respectively; therefore,
one should act in a manner by which bondage of auspicious karmas occur and the
bondage of inauspicious karmas do not occur. One may not have conviction even
of the rise of one's own karmas and may make effort of getting and avoiding
the association of external causes of agreeable and disagreeable objects; but
by believing and adoring the false deities, the instinct of considering
objects agreeable-non-agree-able is not removed, it rather gets intensified.
Due to that even the bondage of Punya (auspicious karmas) is not caused and
insted bondage of Papa (inauspicious-karmas) takes place. Moreover, false
deities are not seen giving or snatching from someone the wealth, etc.,
therefore, they are not even the external causes. Why then are they adored?
When one is extremely puzzled and is in utter confusion, where even a trace of
belief and knowledge about Jiva etc. essential Tattvas, (principles) is not
found and attachment-aversion feelings exist in vehement state, then those
things which are not the cause are believed to be the causes of agreeable and
non- agreeable conditions. Then (in such state of mind) one starts believing
and adoring the false deities.

Thus, under such
intense false belief, etc. the path of liberation becomes extremely difficult
to attain.